10 Meaningful Volunteer Roles in the Library

Library volunteers - we all get the requests, but what to do with them? There is just only so much dusting, weeding, children programming prep, and mending you can have them do. Below are some ideas that have been successful at other libraries, especially for teens and adults. Please keep in mind - some union contracts may not allow certain tasks to be performed by volunteers, so before you do anything, make sure you double check with your Director what you can and cannot have a volunteer do.

Window Artists

  If your volunteers are artistic, get them to work on your windows! All they need are brushes, tempera paint, and a dab of dish soap (just to make it easier to wash off afterwards). You could have them paint advertisements of upcoming events or you can do seasonal themes. Better yet – pick out a children’s picture book and ask them to paint an inspiration from it, then you can put the book on display.

Children's Room windows at the Marlborough Public Library. Teens painted their inspirations from The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle 

Outreach Specialists

  Is there any library that does this enough? Find outgoing people who are willing to promote library services and resources at community events and festivals. They can even bring library card registration forms or a floating book collection, which we discussed a in a previous post.

Program Facilitators

   Tap into your volunteer’s passion. What kind of programs could they run at the library and you provide the advertising? Pikes Peak Library District has a manga artist run their anime meetings as well as teachers to run their ESL circles and teach foreign languages.  Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box! Alachua County Library District has local history aides staffed by volunteers.

Shelf Managers

   By far, this was the favorite position our teens enjoy at my previous library. We trained them to be shelf readers and they spent half their time making sure their section is in order and the other half of the time shifting books. If you have any pages, see if you can match your shelf mangers to a page and have the page supervise their work. I had the volunteers to turn the books backwards when they moved it and then the page would come and flip them around. When the volunteer mastered call numbers, they didn't have to flip the books anymore. (If people are unable to pass the shelf reading test, have them only focus on shifting books. There's always plenty of work to be done there.)

Library Photographers

   Train a few photographers to come in and take pictures of your big events or final products. We had included a photo release with our online registration so we could easily know ahead of time who we can photograph, and we also gave the photographers permission forms to hand out if needed. Make sure they download their favorite pictures on your computer BEFORE they leave, or you may never get them. This program was very beneficial for our social media and our website -- and all of our library photographers were teen volunteers. Note: Make sure you credit them for their work when you post them! They like to see their name attached to their pictures. Also, consider investing in a DSLR camera. The picture quality greatly increases, even if you just use the auto mode.

Photo Credit: MPL Photographer, Lauren Munday

Social Media Managers

   Social media can easily eat up a lot of anyone’s time, especially if you want to keep fresh content on it. There’s no reason why a librarian needs to manage these accounts 24/7. Volunteers can help post new information that may interest patrons (if you don’t want to give them direct access to your account, you can have them email you posts that you can just add to your account afterwards). Create a content guideline and find ways to divide up the work!

Collection Assistants

     Use volunteers to help you fine-tune your collection. Print out reports of missing books so they can double check they are not on the shelves and then you can delete them. Have them look up your series (fiction, manga, and graphic novels) and make a list of missing books for you to order. If you put stickers on your books (like Teen’s Top Ten), have them hunt them out and add them.

Technology Gurus

     Some libraries let volunteers work one-on-one with patrons. Other libraries tap into their skills to help keep up with their own computers like installing updates and reimaging laptops so all the junk is cleared off of them and they won't slow down. You know, the things that you know you should be doing, but never have time to do...

Library Marketers

    The more you market your programs, the more the community will know about them. A volunteer can easily post all of your events online like Patch.com, your local newspapers, and most especially the local TV station. They could deliver fliers around the city/town. They can hand stacks of the library newsletters to local grocery stores and hair salons. They could write up press releases and news articles about successful programs which you can send to the local newspapers. They could even help create ads for your website and social media, if you like their artistic style (Remember Canva? It can do wonders, if you have the time!).

Find Your Passion and Turn It Into a Volunteer Opportunity

     South Brunswick Public Library has a puppeteer program where they teach teens how to do a show and then the teens perform for children at the library. Marlborough Public Library had a 4D Movie presentation of Frozen where teens engaged all of the five senses during the movie. Louisville Public Library has a Reading Buddies program that connect struggling young readers with teens to practice reading each semester. None of these are quick volunteer opportunities, but they give volunteers a chance to learn a new skill, be very creative, and provide a program to local patrons. It could be very rewarding!

Summer Bonus

Is your library buzzing with patrons unable to find their school's required summer reading books? Consider doing what Shrewsbury Public Library did and create teen greeters. They sit at table near the door with school book lists in hand. They are trained to find the books on the shelves and, if they are all checked out, they can help patrons request the book from another library. Summer chaos avoided!

Original post from: http://www.5minlib.com/2015/01/10-meaningful-library-volunteer-roles.html

Unique Volunteering Opportunities in the Library

Libraries love volunteers! Unfortunately, sometimes we are overrun by the offers of lovely people, and have to turn them away -- particularly teenagers who only need a few hours. Luckily, there are other things that volunteers can do in addition to shelving and shelf-reading. Like what? Well...

Domestic Duties

There are lots of smaller daily activities that need to be taken care of in a library setting. Volunteers can:

• Dust the shelves
• Clean and sanitize toys
• Make sure games and puzzles have all the pieces
• Organize toy bins and puzzles
• Test markers and glue sticks to make sure they're still good, and get rid of the old
• Clean and sanitize tables
• Vacuum or sweep high-traffic areas, such as the toy section or craft room
• Wipe down board books/picture books

They're not the most fun activities in the world, but they can be extremely useful!

Online Volunteering

Zooniverse is an the world's largest platform for "people-powered research." Volunteers don't need any special training or equipment to help out - they simply need a computer and Internet access. 

Volunteers can help in many projects! They could:

• count the orangutans in their nests
• enter data from old census reports
• count stars and help discover a supernova
• transcribe documents from the time of Shakespeare
• and lots more!

What can the library do? Some locations have laptops dedicated to working on these projects, and volunteers can sign in to work on them for hour-long blocks. They're being helpful and fulfilling their volunteering requirements at the same time! This is particularly useful for teens who need only a few hours. 

Outreach Volunteering

My library currently has a monthly program for children called the Helping Hands Club. The club has a different project every month. At one meeting, they wrote thank you notes to local police officers and firefighters; at another, they made bookmarks to leave at the senior center. There are lots of things that kids can do!

• Make catnip mice or dog toys for the local animal shelter
• Participate in the Kindness Rocks program
• Write letters to active service members
• Assemble small bags for people at the homeless shelter (socks, handy wipes, granola bars, and a handwritten note telling the recipient that somebody cares)
• Write get-well cards to patients in the hospital
• Make "seed bombs" to help spread wildflowers

This idea could easily be adapted for other age groups, who could also do more advanced projects. 

• Knitting or crocheting hats and scarves for a local homeless shelter or food bank
• Crochet octopuses for premature babies, as seen on the Martha Stewart Website
• Create no-sew blankets or pillows for animal shelters

What kinds of unique volunteering opportunities does your library offer? Tell us here in the comments, on Facebook, or on Twitter!

LEGO Builds @ Your Library

I love LEGO and the patrons at my Library do too. Our Library has offered programs for kids and teens to stop by the Library and build with our collection of LEGO bricks. They are popular, fun, and easy to run. But in 2015 our Library decided to take our LEGO programs a step further and it started with this book:

The LEGO Christmas Ornaments Book by Chris McVeigh

I showed it to my director, who is also a LEGO fan, as soon as our copy arrived. She said, "We should do that as a program."

Since then our Library has hosted more than a dozen LEGO Build programs where patrons can take home the completed project. I haven't heard of another Library that does it. (But if you do I'd love to talk to you!)

I'm here to share my experiences and give you advice on how you can host similar programs at your Library.

STEP ONE: Pick a Project

• What's your budget? How much do you want to spend per person? $3? $5? $12? How many people do you want to be able to build?
• We usually hold two sessions of our builds and I order 23 kits (1 to pre-build and display for promotion, 1 to build along with at each session, and 10 kits for participants at each session).
• There are endless LEGO projects you can build. If you are planning on just hosting one program you should still look for a couple different options of builds. Some may not fit into your budget. 
• If you are new to LEGO and want to save time, make sure you only consider builds that include a detailed parts list (item numbers save a lot of time!) and step by step photos or diagram of the build.
• Here's a list of resources to get you started:
• LEGO Monthly Mini Builds
• chrismcveigh.com - Chris is the author of The LEGO Christmas Ornament Book. The book contains the part lists and building guides for multiple ornaments. He also has building guides right on his website that are free to download. His building guides are divided into categories: Technology, Food, Gaming, Bonsai, Modular Arcade, Seasonal, and Vehicles.
• Our Library has run programs with these builds from Chris: Classic Camera, Question Block, Bonsai, Arcade Ornament, Flurry Ornament, Cooper Ornament, Platecraft Snowflake, Platecraft Wreath, Death Star Ornament, and Millennium Falcon Ornament.

STEP TWO: Price Out the Bricks

• I always price out my bricks through the LEGO website first. I consider this my "max" cost for each project. There are other websites that I'll mention that resell bricks, often less expansive than LEGO, but your required quantity may not be available.
• You can order individual LEGO bricks from the LEGO website in two different ways and you may need to check both for a particular brick: Pick a Brick and Bricks & Pieces.
• Pick a Brick - LEGO's most commonly requested pieces, you can order up to 999 pieces per brick.
• Bricks & Pieces - Harder to locate pieces, you can order up to 200 pieces per brick.
• Now do some math! Multiply the cost per brick by the number of bricks needed.

STEP THREE: Purchasing Bricks

• My two favorite ways to buy bricks:
• LEGO Website - Pick a Brick and/or Bricks & Pieces
• BrickOwl - LEGO Marketplace with brick resellers. You can usually find parts cheaper and they usually ship faster than LEGO, however you may have to order from multiple sellers to get what you need and price comparison can take longer. 
• You could also try purchasing bricks directly from a LEGO store. Wall of Bricks is a great website to check what bricks are available at your local LEGO store.

STEP FOUR: Preparing Kits

• Since you are creating your own kits you need to sort and bag them yourself. If you have detail-oriented volunteers this can be a great task for them. I order a box of small clear plastic bags, like this, to put bricks in.
• Once your bricks arrive in the mail, sort them. Next, create the kit by adding each of the bricks your participants will need to complete the build.
• Having lots of space to sort and spread out is really helpful at this step.

STEP FIVE: Running the Program: Tips & Tricks

• Our Library has found that these programs work best for patrons in grades 3 and up. We usually divide groups into grades 3-5, grades 6-12, and adult. You could also just do mixed groups with grades 3 to adult.
• We've also found that the program works best with 10 participants per session and two staff.
• In order to save your sanity and keep everyone together we build as a group. Each participant completes step one before moving on to the next. This way you don't have to go from helping someone on step 2 to another on step 12. We also do not allow patrons to have individual instructions and strongly discourage building ahead.  
  

  • Having trays on hand make in easy for patrons to see their parts and keep them from mixing with their neighbor's parts. Talk to your local supermarket meat department for some foam trays and line them with felt.
• Have a projector with the LEGO instructions for you to go through step by step. It's sometimes easier to create your own powerpoint of the build.
• Our programs usually vary in length depending on what we are building and how complicated it is.  
• We also let patrons know that the build starts 5 minutes after the program start time. If they have not arrived in time they cannot join the build. It is too complicated and time consuming, as well as unfair to the other builders, to catch up late-comers. We also don't allow late-comers to take kits with them. We usually don't have printed instructions and the point of the program is to build at the Library. 
  

More Helpful Advice I Can Give You:

• Build in enough time before your program date to order bricks, receive them, sort them, and possibly order missing bricks. I recommend a month or more.
• If you order more than 2 projects at once, know that it can be a major time suck to separate bricks from different projects. 
  
  I'd love to hear from you if your library runs similar programs. Feel free to email me with any questions.

8 Simple Photography Tricks Every Librarian Should Know

Let's talk about library photography. If you are lucky, newspaper reporters will come in and cover your programs. But even if they do, it is still important to take your own pictures of your events for the library website and social media, at the very least. However, photography is something that they don't teach you in grad school, so we're left to our own devices. Over the years, I've learned a few tricks that have upped my photography game. Maybe you'll find these helpful, too.

#1. Camera type does matter!

I couldn't believe how much of a difference it made when we bought a DSLR camera, the Canon EOS Rebel (thanks to the our teens voting for a Photography Makerspace). Sure, you might get some great shots with a regular camera or on your phone, but even leaving the DSLR camera on auto, it automatically blurs the background. Overnight, I became a better photographer! It is worth the money to upgrade.

#2. Focus on patrons, not your performer.

A photographer expert gave me this great tip that I never even realized -- if you focus on the performer, you are giving that performer free publicity. But if you focus on the faces of your patrons enjoying a performance, you are giving your library good publicity. Just make sure you get their permission before you post the photos online.

#3. Take pictures behind your performer.

So, to help you get a good spot for focusing on your patrons' faces, you should plan ahead. Ask the performer to move a few feet out into the audience and then station yourself behind them. If your patrons are sitting on the floor, lie down on your stomach so you'll get a good angle.

#4. Natural light makes the best pictures.

I learned this trick when I was taking shots of my newborn. Nothing looks better than bathed in natural light. Use this to your advantage -- focus on the people who have the best natural light on them. If you are in a room that has no or little natural light, turn on as many lights as you possibly can ahead of time to increase the quality of your pictures. (Especially since you'll want to turn off the flash if you are taking photos during a performance.)

#5. Focus on the eyes.

Even if you don't have a DSLR camera, many cameras these days have a function where you can pick a focus. When you're trying to get a great shot of a specific patron, make sure you're focused on the eyes. When the eyes aren't sharp, the picture won't look right.

#6. Be creative!

The subjects of your photos don't always have to be centered in the frame, or looking at the camera. Frame the shot with a bookshelf, to remind the viewer that the event was in a library. Get behind a viewer at a program, so you're looking over their shoulder to see what they see. Or, if you want to avoid faces, focus your shots on the finished products.

#7. Add the photography release to your registration.

There is a big debate about whether or not a library needs to have a photography release form. If you decide to do this, make it easy for yourself and patrons and include it right into your registration. If it is paper sign-up, you can hand them the release immediately afterwards. If it is online registration, even better! In my previous job, I worked with Eventkeeper to format a section to our online template form that was the Photography Release statement and asked them to mark "yes" or "no" if they accept these terms. I used this registration template for ever major event, but technically patrons only need to sign the form once and it covers their lifetime. But however you do it, it is good to have the majority of the releases done so you only need to worry about walk-ins at your event. (It also makes your newspaper reporters very happy to have this done ahead of time.)

#8. Create a Photographer Volunteer Role.

Lastly, if you are trying to run a program, it is really hard to also find time to take pictures. To solve this problem in my previous library, I created a volunteer role for in-house photographers. We opened it up to teens and trained them for a few days, then they could select which of the upcoming programs they wanted to cover. It worked out well for us and the teens really enjoyed it and took impressive shots. I made sure they downloaded their pictures on my computer before they left and then I used them for our social media, making sure to give the teen photo credit. It was a win/win partnership for us!

Do you have any photography tips? We'd love to hear about them in the comments.

6 Hot Tips for Creating Topnotch Shelf Readers

The most popular Teen Volunteer Program I have at the library are Shelf Managers. I'm not quite sure why since it takes a special person to love shelf reading, but my teens come back year after year and they get really excited about it.

Have you tried this program at your library? Interested in doing something similar for your teens and/or adults? I thought I'd share what we do at my library and, to help you save time, I even included templates at the end!

1. Information Overview

• My training sessions are an hour long. 
• The teens come in and I play two Youtube videos on shelving Fiction and Nonfiction which were produced by the Parkland Regional Library system. The videos are very short, but they give a fabulous overview of how the system works. (Some day, I will make my own videos, but these work for now!)

2. Quiz for Understanding

• Next, I have my teens take an online quiz that I made via a Google Form. It asks them to put things in order and sees how well they understand the concepts. (See the end of this article for quiz templates that you can copy and modify)
• Then I use the Google Form Add-on Flubaroo, which automatically grades the quiz. In five seconds, I will get a percentage of how many they got correct!
• I've learned that if they score below 70%, they usually require a lot of supervision and never really get the system. I pull these kids aside at the end and tell them, "You didn't score well on the test... This is usually a good indicator that shelf reading will drive you crazy. We want your volunteering to be fun, so how about we just focus on having you edge and shift books?" Usually, the teens agree (and came to this realization while taking the quiz) and they're grateful for the graceful way out.

3. Do a Practice Run

There are three parts to our Shelf Managers: 

• Shelf Reading.
• Edging (pulling the books flush to the edge of the shelf and tucking the book ends tight). 
• Shifting Books (making space at the end of the shelves). I've learned that shifting is a HARD concept for teens to grasp, so I always end the session with bringing them to shelves and having them practice on one whole bay.

4. Supervision

I've run my program two different ways:

If you have pages, I highly recommend starting a Page Mentoring program where you partner each of your volunteers with a page. 

• I have my pages log when the teens come in and they direct their mentees to the areas in the library that need a lot of work. 
• They also check in on them and double check their work (which is easy to do since everything the mentee moves, he/she puts that book on its spine).

However, I know many libraries don't have pages. If you fall into this group, I've learned that it is helpful to check in on your Shelf Managers and see how they are doing. 

• Give them only one section in the library so they can become experts in those call numbers.
• Have them lay the books they've moved on the spine so you can easily double check them later (ideally, while they are still working, so you can explain any mistakes). 
• When I check twice and they made no mistakes, I give them the okay to not lay the books on their spines when they move them.

5. Schedule

• There's just so many hours one can focus on shelf reading and still remain proficient. I've learned that two hours in one shift is the super shelfer's limit. 
• Don't forget to include breaks from reading! 
• I always tell my teens that when they need a break, it is a good time to start shifting some books. 
• I also ask them to edge their section, pulling the books tight and flush with the edge of the shelf.
• I've learned that creating a schedule that works for ME is what makes this program the most successful. If you're doing the training all by yourself, you might want to pick two days and two time slots for teens to select from. I suggest starting with one hour a week, but some want to do two solid hours. I do not allow three hours at once.
• If you are working with your pages, it is important that you have a back-up plan in case your page is not in. I only allowed shifts on the times there are two pages working so if one page calls out, the volunteer can work with the other page. If you don't have this option, you can make sure your pages can contact the volunteer if they will be out.

6. Templates/Downloads for You

This is the test I have them take: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1B__5NGxz5IUXZkNlkSTR8I-oyJ3AOhvxCqbNjB7T3kM/viewform

You can make a copy of this test and edit to fit your own library!:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HX7H6qeQ3T9onbmF1nHcMTBiYMuiCvGuLg029apmQQI/edit?usp=sharing

Don't forget to install Flubaroo. It is super easy! Go to the Add-on, type in the name and add it to your toolbar. Once added, you make an answer key (which is most accurate if you only ask for multiple choice responses) and then you're done! Once answers are submitted, you make three clicks for the grade.

Conclusion

And that's it! If you use this format, please share with us how it went. If you already do this at your library, how do you run your program? We'd love to hear about it.